While Garoppolo looked calm and collected during that stretch, that wasn't always the case. He was coming off a crash course studying an offense that usually takes a player multiple offseasons to master. There were bound to be errors.
And there were.
Garoppolo would sometimes call a play, and his teammates would just look at him in confusion because the play he blurted out didn't actually exist. Running back Matt Breida, who joined KNBR on Friday, attributed the confusion to some technical difficulties.
"I think it was more too with the headset," Breida told Greg Papa and John Lund. "We had some headset issues, and he was (still) just making plays."
Somehow, even with the mistakes and limited knowledge of the system, the offense made it work. Garoppolo, after all, didn't know the whole playbook yet. He knew just enough to be effective, and effective he was. Garoppolo made an immediate impact when he stepped into the huddle.
"You've just got that feeling you can score every play, especially when I was a rookie and we came, and we won those five games," Breida said. "It was kind of amazing because Jimmy didn't really understand the offense yet. He got thrown into that spot, and he was just out there calling plays."
Breida doesn't believe 2017 was a fluke. He believes it was a legitimate glimpse of what Garoppolo can become and even noted an example of the quarterback's elite ability from a recent practice.
"Even like yesterday (Thursday), he made an amazing throw to Dante (Pettis), just a no-looker," Breida said. "He just threw it. It's just stuff like that where you know he's going to be a great quarterback. He's one of those special guys. He's earned everything he's got."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Breida below.
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
No Huddle Podcast: What's Up With the 49ers DC Search?
(Episode 404) — Al Sacco and Brian Renick sound off on the 49ers' poor efforts with their DC search, the impact of the Trent Baalke firing, what it says about the 49ers if they promote Brandon Staley to DC, how the defensive personnel will change with a new DC, Pete... -
PFF identifies one free agent the 49ers can't afford to lose
Pro Football Focus contributor Dalton Wasserman analyzed the latest crop of impending NFL free agents, highlighting one player each team can't afford to lose. For the San Francisco 49ers, Wasserman spotlighted linebacker Dre Greenlaw—a free agent whose future is clouded... -
Star player's wife 'a tad salty' about 49ers missing the playoffs
Kristin Juszczyk had different plans for January. She expected to spend the month watching football—but not from her couch. Instead, she anticipated cheering on her husband, San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, from NFL stadiums as the team made another postseason... -
PFF names 49ers' breakout candidate for 2025
Pro Football Focus contributor Bradley Locker recently identified one breakout candidate for every NFL team heading into 2025. The pick for the San Francisco 49ers was wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, a young player whose 2024 rookie campaign took an unexpected turn. The 49ers...